How much does it cost to paint a house interior?
Painting a home's interior typically costs about $5,000 ($1-$4 per sq ft), ranging from roughly $1,800 to $10,000 by size and paint grade.
Key takeaways
- This Old House puts a whole-interior paint job at $1,800-$10,000; a typical 2,000 sq ft home runs about $2,000-$8,000.
- Per square foot, expect $1-$4 of floor space (This Old House) or $2-$6 per painted square foot (Bob Vila).
- Per room, bedrooms run $300-$800 and living rooms $600-$2,000 (This Old House); Bob Vila's per-room national average is $1,892.
- Paint quality ranges $15-$60 per gallon (This Old House) up to $100 for premium (Bob Vila); primer adds $10-$30.
- Labor is $30-$60 per hour (This Old House); prep, tall ceilings, and repairs ($1-$5 per sq ft) push costs up.
Painting a home’s interior typically costs about $5,000 for a whole-house job, with the overall range running $1,800 to $10,000 (This Old House). That works out to roughly $1-$4 per square foot of floor space, or $300-$800 per bedroom. Costs scale with home size, ceiling height, and paint grade.
What interior painting costs
You can price interior painting three ways: per square foot, per room, or for the whole house. This Old House puts a full interior job between $1,800 and $10,000, or about $1 to $4 per square foot of floor space. Bob Vila, pricing room by room, reports a national average of $1,892 (range $955-$2,890) and $2 to $6 per painted square foot. The difference is scope, a single room versus every wall, ceiling, and trim in the house.
| Scope | Typical cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Per square foot (floor) | $1-$4 | This Old House |
| Per painted square foot | $2-$6 | Bob Vila |
| Bedroom | $300-$800 | This Old House |
| Living room | $600-$2,000 | This Old House |
| Kitchen | $200-$750 | This Old House |
| Half-bath | $50-$150 | This Old House |
| Whole house (2,000 sq ft) | $2,000-$8,000 | This Old House |
| Whole house (2,500 sq ft) | $2,500-$10,000 | This Old House |
Whole-house pricing tracks home size almost linearly in This Old House data: about $800-$3,200 for 800 square feet, $1,000-$4,000 for 1,000 square feet, $1,500-$6,000 for 1,500 square feet, $2,000-$8,000 for 2,000 square feet, and $2,500-$10,000 for 2,500 square feet. Materials are a modest slice: This Old House prices paint at $15-$60 per gallon and primer at $20-$30 per gallon ($50-$100 for a five-gallon bucket), while Bob Vila cites paint at $20-$100 per gallon for premium lines and primer at $10-$20.
Beyond walls, individual surfaces have their own rates. This Old House prices ceilings at $1-$2.50 per square foot, trim at $1-$3 per linear foot, interior doors at $40-$100 each, and kitchen cabinets at $900-$3,500 (or $3-$8 per square foot). Stairways run $15-$30 per linear foot. If you tackle it yourself, Bob Vila estimates $200-$300 in DIY materials for a room, but factor in older-home hazards: lead testing runs $100-$190 and asbestos removal $65-$240 per room. Those add-ons, not the paint itself, are what most often separate a low bid from a high one.
What moves the price
- Home / room size: more square footage means more paint and labor; This Old House scales roughly $1-$4 per sq ft.
- Number of rooms: per-room costs range from $50-$150 for a half-bath to $600-$2,000 for a living room (This Old House).
- Ceiling height: tall walls and stairways add labor; This Old House prices stairways at $15-$30 per linear foot.
- Paint grade: $15-$60 per gallon (This Old House) up to $100 for premium (Bob Vila); better paint covers in fewer coats.
- Prep and repairs: patching and prep add $1-$5 per square foot (Bob Vila); lead testing runs $100-$190.
- Labor: painters charge $30-$60 per hour, more for specialty work (This Old House); Bob Vila cites $1.50-$4 per square foot for labor alone.
- Extra surfaces: ceilings ($1-$2.50/sq ft), trim ($1-$3/linear ft), and cabinets ($900-$3,500) add to a walls-only quote (This Old House).
- Hazards: lead testing ($100-$190) and asbestos removal ($65-$240 per room) apply mainly to older homes (Bob Vila).
Bottom line: budget around $5,000 to paint a typical home interior, roughly $300-$800 per bedroom, and expect to pay more for tall ceilings, heavy prep, or premium paint. DIY can cut materials to $200-$300 per room (Bob Vila), but labor is where pros earn their fee. Getting several itemized quotes helps you compare paint grade and prep scope, not just the headline number.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to paint a house interior?
This Old House puts a whole-interior job at $1,800-$10,000, about $5,000 for a typical 2,000 sq ft home. That's roughly $1-$4 per square foot of floor space.
What is the cost to paint interior per square foot?
This Old House cites $1-$4 per square foot of floor space; Bob Vila lists $2-$6 per painted square foot. Ceiling height and prep affect the rate.
How much does it cost to paint one room?
This Old House lists bedrooms at $300-$800, living rooms at $600-$2,000, kitchens at $200-$750, and half-baths at $50-$150. Bob Vila's per-room national average is $1,892.
How much does interior paint cost per gallon?
This Old House prices paint at $15-$60 per gallon and primer at $20-$30. Bob Vila cites $20-$100 per gallon for premium lines. Better paint often needs fewer coats.
How much is labor to paint a house interior?
Painters charge $30-$60 per hour (This Old House), with specialty work reaching $75 or more. Labor is the largest share of most interior paint jobs.
What makes interior painting cost more?
Larger homes, more rooms, tall ceilings and stairways, premium paint, and heavy prep or repairs ($1-$5 per sq ft per Bob Vila) all raise the total.
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